Beliefs about Structural Racism Shape Perceptions of Racial Economic Inequality

Despite vast racial disparities in economic outcomes, White Americans tend to overestimate their economic parity with Black Americans (e.g., Kraus et al., 2019). White Americans also tend to be less likely to hold an understanding of racism that is rooted in structural processes, relative to individual-level biases (e.g., Rucker & Richeson, 2021b). Across three studies (N = 2124 participants), the present research explored whether White Americans’ misperceptions of racial economic inequality are explained, in part, by a general lack of exposure to information about structural racism. In Study 1, we measured the extent to which participants conceptualized racism in terms of structural factors. In Studies 2 and 3, we experimentally manipulated exposure to information about structural racism. Specifically, participants listened to an audio clip discussing structural roots of racial discrimination, a comparable audio clip on implicit racial bias, or no clip at all. In both studies, participants made estimates of Black-White economic inequality in income and wealth, then indicated their support for reparative public policies (e.g., affirmative action in hiring). Across studies, holding a structural understanding of racism, whether measured or manipulated, was associated with holding more accurate estimates of contemporary Black-White economic inequality (Studies 1 and 2) and greater support for racial equity-enhancing policies (Studies 1-3).